Education (Scotland) Bill - Detailed call for views

Closed 30 Aug 2024

Opened 28 Jun 2024

Contact

Education, Children and Young People Committee

ecyp.committee@parliament.scot

Published responses

View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.

Overview

The Bill was created to support the education and skills reform being taken forward by the Scottish Government.

The changes brought in by the Bill respond to a range of reports and reviews, including:

The Bill was introduced on 4 June 2024.

Purpose of the Bill

The Bill establishes a new body called Qualifications Scotland. It also creates a new office His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education in Scotland.

While the Bill provides the mechanism for reforming the current Scottish Qualifications Authority and creates a separate education inspection agency, its provisions largely replicate existing legislation, namely the Education (Scotland) Act 1996 and the Scottish Qualifications Authority Act 2002.

This call for views focuses on the new provisions introduced by this Bill.

Find out more about the Bill

About this call for views

There are two options available to anyone wishing to contribute to this call for views.

Detailed call for views

This is for people, groups, bodies or organisations who wish to comment on specific aspects of the Bill.

Questions in the detailed call for views

  1. Several reports, including the OECD Review of the Curriculum for Excellence and Professor Ken Muir’s report “Putting Learners at the Centre. Towards a Future Vision for Scottish Education”, have recommended reforming the current Scottish Qualifications Authority. How well do you think the Bill addresses the concerns raised in those reports?
  2. The Bill sets out measures designed to better involve learners, teachers and others in the new body’s decision-making. What do you think about these measures?
  3. The Bill also creates several Charters, designed to let people know what they can expect when interacting with Qualifications Scotland. What is your view of these Charters?
     
  4. Part 2 of the Bill establishes the role of HM Chief Inspector of Education in Scotland, setting out what they will do and how they will operate. What are your views of these proposals? E.g. Do they allow for sufficient independence?
  5. What are you views on the reporting requirements set out in the Bill, including the requirement to report on the performance of the Scottish education system?
  6. Are there any powers HM Chief Inspector should have that are not set out in the Bill?
     
  7. In your view, what should the outcomes of the Bill be?
  8. Do you have any other comments on the Bill?

Short call for views

If you wish to express general views about the Bill as a whole, you can respond to our shorter call for views. This asks for views on the two key proposals in the Bill.

Questions in the shorter call for views

  1. What are your views on the proposals for Qualifications Scotland? 
  2. What are your views on the proposals for a new HM Chief Inspector of Education in Scotland?

Respond to the shorter call for views

Whichever way you respond, we're particularly keen to hear from:

  • children and young people
  • teachers
  • academics
  • unions
  • public bodies

Responses from individuals will be anonymised if requested by the submitter.

The call for views closed on 30 August 2024.

Interests

  • ECYP